Samples and Trial Orders Before You Commit
No buyer should place a container order against a photograph, and no supplier should ask them to.
What This Covers
Existing samples are provided free and usually dispatch in 1 to 2 days. Custom designs carry a small sample charge that is refunded when the order reaches a certain quantity, and take 4 to 6 days depending on whether new tooling or a new printing screen is needed.
How It Runs
Existing sample
Free of charge, 1 to 2 days to dispatch. Ship on your FedEx, UPS, TNT or DHL account, or pay the freight to us and we ship on ours.
Custom sample
A small sample charge applies, refundable once the order reaches an agreed quantity. Allow 4 to 6 days.
Sample approval
You approve a physical part. The approved sample stays here as the production reference.
Trial order
Below the 5,000 pcs MOQ, so you can test sell-through before committing to a season.
Full production
10 to 15 days at MOQ, produced against the approved sample and Pantone references.
What This Stage Is Guarding Against
Ordering against a photograph
Colour, weight and finish do not read accurately from an image. A physical sample removes the argument.
Sample charges that make trialling expensive
Existing samples are free, and custom sample charges are refunded against the order.
MOQ blocking a first order
Trial quantities below MOQ let a buyer prove the product before taking the volume risk.
Freight cost on a single sample
Shipping on your own courier account is usually cheaper than paying a supplier's marked-up freight.
Timings You Can Plan Against
Detail Behind This Page
How Custom Soft PVC Fridge Magnets Are Made
A soft PVC magnet is not printed. It is moulded, colour by colour, in an aluminium tool, and almost every quality problem you can see in a finished magnet was decided before production started.
Soft PVC Versus Rubber and Silicone
Three materials cover almost everything in moulded promotional products. Choosing the wrong one usually shows up as a part that looks right and feels wrong.
Preparing Artwork Files for Custom Moulded Products
Most delays in a first order are artwork delays, and almost all of them are avoidable if you know what the factory actually needs.
The Rest of the Route
Artwork to Tooling
Everything that goes wrong in a moulded product goes wrong at the drawing stage, which is why this is the part we slow down and the rest we do fast.
OEM and Private Label Programmes
Most of what leaves this factory carries somebody else's name on it, which is the normal arrangement here rather than a special service.
Export Packing and Compliance
Landed cost and customs paperwork decide whether a good price at the factory gate is still a good price on your shelf.
Sampling and Trial Orders Questions
Are samples really free?
Existing samples are free. Custom designs carry a small sample charge because they may need new tooling or a new printing screen, and that charge is refunded when the order reaches an agreed quantity.
How do samples ship?
By FedEx, UPS, TNT or DHL. If you have a courier account we ship on yours, which is usually cheaper. Otherwise you can pay the freight and we ship on our account.
How long does a sample take?
1 to 2 days to dispatch for an existing design. 4 to 6 days for your own design, depending on whether it needs a new mould or printing screen.
Can we order less than 5,000 pieces?
Yes, for a trial. Tell us the quantity you want to test and we will cost it. The intention is that you place a larger order once you have seen the quality and the service.
Start With Sampling and Trial Orders
Send what you have, even if it is only a photograph and a quantity. We will tell you what is achievable before anything is tooled.